Story in numbers: States where 'law and order' is a priority for voters

Talking to intellectuals in Varanasi a day before he filed his nomination papers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said prosperity and development without security is of little value to a country

“Undermining the challenge of terror even for a single moment is an injustice to the country,” Narendra Modi said in an interaction with intellectuals in Varanasi.

The context there was the happenings in Sri Lanka, the terror attack and killings in places of worship. 

But he was also referring to state capacity that prevents such attacks before they happen.

The Association for Democratic Reform (ADR) in a survey, born out of curiosity about what makes voters vote in a particular way, has found that better policing and law and order, in order of voter priority, was the highest in Tripura.

Law and order found resonance with voters in relatively peaceful Meghalaya as well. In Rajasthan, the second-largest number of voters rated it their top priority. Rajasthan has relatively low rates of crime and social disharmony.

Predictably, in Bihar, which has been known for a long and extended tenure of policing and law and order problems, the third-largest number of voters rated it their priority.

Data: Association for Democratic Reform 

Analysis: Aditi Phadnis